The gap between “it works” and “we can make it”
Getting a prototype working on a breadboard is the exciting part. Turning it into something you can manufacture is where projects stall:
- choosing components that are actually in stock
- laying out a board that passes design rules
- keeping analog signals clean
- handling power safely
- producing files an assembler accepts without a week of emails
I take you through that step with a clear scope and a fixed price per board.
Phased hardware, controlled budget
Hardware projects grow quickly if nothing reins them in. I usually recommend a phased roadmap: design the main controller board with its core sensors first, prove it, and add expansion boards later. Each phase has its own fixed price and deliverables, and nothing is designed before it’s needed.
On a recent environmental-controller project, that meant:
- Phase 1 was the main board only, with the client’s existing sensors.
- Lighting-control interfaces were documented as a pin map, so they can be added later without redesigning the board.
- The client wrote their own firmware from that pin map and interface spec.
Firmware and connectivity
Hardware is only half of most products. On the firmware side I build:
- ESP32 firmware with robust Wi-Fi reconnection, OTA updates and watchdogs.
- ESPHome configurations for fast integration with Home Assistant.
- MQTT pipelines into dashboards, databases and alerts.
- Web dashboards and apps for your device’s data. See internal tools & dashboards.
You end up with one engineer who understands the whole path from the sensor pin to the chart on the screen.
Pricing and what’s included
Board design is priced per board. A simple sensor or controller board starts around $1,800, and dense mixed-signal or high-current designs cost more. Firmware is quoted separately, or bundled when the same project needs both, so you only pay for what you need.
Every package includes the full KiCad project, so you’re never locked in. Any engineer can open, modify and re-order your boards later. Manufacturing itself is paid directly to your chosen assembler, and I help you place the first order and check the assembly preview before anything is produced.
Documentation that outlives the project
Hardware projects often outlast the people who designed them. Every board ships with:
- a pin map
- an interface specification
- design notes explaining component choices and trade-offs
- a revision history
When you add an expansion board next year, change assemblers, or hand firmware to another developer, everything they need is already written down. They won’t have to reverse-engineer it from the layout.
I also flag risks early: parts with a single source, components near end-of-life, and layout choices that would make certification or enclosure design harder later. Those problems are cheap to avoid on paper and expensive to fix on a manufactured board.